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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · bark · game · net · root · track · wound · deal

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. root — of a word
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — to keep track
  12. net — in sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — to handle
  16. track — a path
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — a division
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com